Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-08-12
To be continued. I
SPIRITUS ERUMENTI.
The Sad Misunderstanding Twixt the Clergy
man and the New York Clerk.

The Sad Misunderstanding Twixt the Clergy
man and the New York Clerk.
Newburyport News
prominent clergyman of this vicinity
has little piece of land in the rear of
his house in which he loves to spend 5000
worth of time to raise so worth of vege-
tables. Upon such occasions he sheds
the ministerial grab and dons clothes
that carry with them the very aspect OF
hard farm work. On a very warm day
recently, after hoeing while he be-
thought himself that glass of cool soda
water would lot be amiss, and he accord
ingIy set out for drug store, relying up
on his clothes and big straw hat to dis
guise him.
Now it happened that the druggist had
Just engaged new clerk, who had not
become fully acquainted with the wants
of the soda fountain patrons, and as the
amatuer farmer stalked uI to the counter
the new man sized him up and decided
that he was from Wayback and almost
anticipated his order. AS the clergyman
called for ginger speck of dust from the
ceiling flew in one eye, and he, gazing at
the clerk, deliberately winked that or
gan.
The clerk noticed it and remarked, Yes
sir, a little ginger" and reached for the
bottle labelled 'Spiritus frumenti," and
mixing a liberal dose of it with little
plain soda, placed it before his patron,
who, being quite thirsty frem mis- labors,
drank it readily at one draught. AS he
replaced the empty glass on the marble
counter he remarked. Your ginger So
da, sir, is a trife stronger that usual, is it
not?"
''Wel, just a trihe," facetiously replied
the clerk; ''Ha! Ha! That's d good joke.
Yes, sir, that ginger, is all the way from
Kentucky. Ho! Ho!"
''All the way from Kentucky" queried
the mYstified preacher. "Do you have to
go to so much trouble as that to procure
ginger"
eyes, sir, all the way from Kentucky.
Ha! Hal" And the delighted clerk who
wanted to make himself solid with all
the patrons reached over and familiariy
slapped the minister on the back. "Well,
you do know good whiskey. don't your"
''Whiskey! Sir! This familiarity
sir, 1 am preacher of the gospel. Do
you mean to say, young man, that you
have sold me wbiskey when | requested
ginger solar"
Hold On, old boss. Don't get rIled. 1
didn't mean anything. Preacher of the
gospsl?' Well that's pretty good. You
are funny one, no mistake. Ha! Ha.
Didn't you wink at me when you called
for that gingerY"
"No, sir; | have no recollection of any
such action. l came here for a simple
glass of ginger soda. and why you should
take occasion to insult me by selling me
vile whiskey and then calling me an old
horse I"
At this juncture the proprietor of the
store came in and the Thoroughly
aroused clergyman al pealed to him. The
druggist recognized his patron and was
profuse in his apologies, as was also the
now frightened clerk who felt like
poisoning himself with bottle of patent
medicine. After while the forgiving
nature of the reverend gentleman came
to the surface, and he quoted down, aud,
bidding all good day, he fastened home
before the ardent spirits began to get in
their deadly work. After applying ice to
his head for the next three hours he sat
down in his study and on the spur of the
moment prepared his sermon for the
next Sunday. He took for his text Job,
xix, II am escaped with the skin OF my
teeth" and his parishioners declare that
they never heard their ParsOn preach
such powerful temperance sermon, al
though one old lady remarked that it
was "dreffu' qGeer subject" But he
shuns that drug store as he would pesti-
lence: the associations are not pleasant.